this is the big daddy of them all. tens of thousands of people that are expected to be down here for the big fourth of july celebration. the public access to the national mall itself is going to start at about 10:00 a.m. so that is what folks can start filtering down near and getting your favorite spot down here on the national mall. the u.s. park service, they are saying, please, do not drive down here. they are asking people to take metro to get down here. they think that will be your best bet. here is some information you need to know about metro itself. it is going to be open from 7:00 a.m. to midnight. the smithsonian metro stop, that one is actually going to be closed but will reopen for entry only after the fireworks. they can try to get people oust here as quickly as possible. they will be running six and eight-car trains and for safety measures, many of the escalators will be off. people need to keep that in mind. you will be walking coming in and out of the metro stop. here is what you need to know to bring o